Taylor Bakken didn't set out to become a filmmaker.

She graduated with a degree in Music Business and German, but her thesis was a "business plan" for making a movie— a quiet rebellion disguised as homework. From there, she stepped into the music world, working at the legendary First Avenue in Minneapolis. Her first glimpse of the entertainment industry: close enough to feel the pulse, but still just outside the frame.

Eventually, she traded the hum of amps for the glow of a movie screen. With no connections and no backup plan, she moved to Los Angeles. Temp jobs led to assistant jobs, until a stroke of luck landed her in development, working alongside some of Hollywood's most distinctive storytellers.

Three years in that world sharpened her instincts for story— the rhythms, the reversals, the human contradictions. She started making short films on the side, drawn to stories that blend absurdity and tenderness in equal measure.

Taylor's short films have screened at festivals across the country, including Palm Springs Shortsfest and Hollyshorts, earning recognition including the Fun Is Good Award at TCFF, chosen by Bill Murray himself. Most recently, her short THE MUSHROOM MAN was selected for Cate Blanchett's Proof of Concept Accelerator Program, with a Netflix showcase planned for December 2026.

Her work lives somewhere between the surreal and the sincere: darkly funny, deeply felt, and just a little off-kilter. She tells stories about strange people in stranger situations.